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A confidential source has told an official investigation that British authorities abandoned sensitive devices allowing the Taliban to locate Afghans that had served with western forces.

Data Breach Endangers Thousands at Risk

The source, known as Person A, testified that Afghans affected by the security lapse were advised to move homes and switch their phone numbers to protect themselves from the Taliban.

Lawmakers are currently examining the Conservative government's management of a serious disclosure of confidential data involving approximately 19k Afghans who had applied to come to Britain to avoid militant rule.

The Information Breach Occurred

A data file with private information, such as names, contact details and occasionally family information, was mistakenly released by a staff member working at special operations center in early 2022.

The breach came to light months later, when details of nine people who had applied to settle in Britain appeared on Facebook.

Regime's Resources

It appears there is a false assumption that Afghan rulers are without similar capabilities that allied forces use,” Person A informed the committee.

“We left it all behind in Afghanistan; they possess it. Once they acquire mobile details, they are able to track you down to within metres. That is what intelligence groups achieved.”

During testimony about if militant forces possessed advanced decryption, the whistleblower confirmed: “They have complete capability.”

Impact of the Data Breach

Preliminary research presented to the inquiry suggested that no fewer than forty-nine kin and co-workers of individuals impacted by the incident had been executed.

A legal restriction concerning the breach was put in force in August 2023 and blocked all details regarding the matter from media reporting until July 2025.

Security Recommendations

Due to legal constraints, the whistleblower and the non-governmental organization associated with informed Afghan families they were supporting that they had “suspicions that somebody's phone had been compromised”.

“We recommended that they moved if they could and switched their mobile numbers. Those were the crucial data that, if authorities had access to this information, would lead to them being traced,” she said.

Contested Findings

Person A disputed that internal investigation performed by a former official had been wrong to state that the obtaining of the information by the regime was “not significantly alter an individual's existing exposure”.

“The thing to remember is that these individuals are not confronting militant forces; they live secretly. The primary issue involves their previous employment.”

The source explained disturbing abuse suffered by affected individuals, including electrocution, simulated drowning, and severe beatings.

“There are cases of four-year-old children who have had bones crushed to force the family to say where someone is,” Person A stated.